Contents

Understand

History

Sivas is very old city in Anatolia. Its name was Sebastiapolis in Byzantium period and it was an important city in the theme of Cappadocia. After Turks arrived, the city became an important centre during Seljuk period. In Ottoman period, Sivas was the capital of the province of Rum.

Sivas Congress was an assembly of the Turkish National Movement held from 4 September to 11 September 1919, which lead to the War of Independence.

Climate

Summers in Sivas are hot and dry but with low levels of humidity, and winters are bitterly cold. As with most other parts of Anatolian highland, nights even in summer are a bit chilly in Sivas, so don't forget to pack along at least a cardigan with you.

Get in

By plane

There are daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara to Sivas Nuri Demirağ Airport (VAS). A number of other cities across Turkey are also served with less frequent flights. In summer, there are weekly flights from Amsterdam and Dusseldorf.

By taxi

Here is a list of average prices for taxi rides along some important routes in Sivas:

Airport-City Center: 60 TL

Coach Station-City Centre: 25 TL

Train Station-City Centre: 8 TL

See

Buruciye Medresesi, (at the city centre), [2]. An ancient Islamic school with wonderful architecture with the usual majestic gate like the other Seljuk sites have. A nice to take lots of photographs as great sights occur as the sun moves.

Do

Buy

Eat

Sıla Etli Ekmek. A great place to have etli ekmek—long thin breads topped with finely minced meat, kind of a Turkish pizza, a speciality of Central Anatolia.

Spas

Soğuk Çermik is a spa center. Hafik, Todurge (Zara), and Gokpinar (Gurun) Lakes are some of the interesting nearby places for picnicking, boating and fishing.

Besides its historical treasures, the surrounding region possesses several other specialties, one of which is Balıklı Kaplıca, an interesting spa in the town of Kangal. It is a thermal spring, filled with tiny fish living in the hot waters, which provides a different type of cure for skin complaints. It is the only cure center in the world for psoriasis, known in Turkish as sedef hastalığı.